We use Australian swinging fender stock saddles suitable for cattle work, trail riding and also used in Australian campdrafting competitions and stockman challenges. The traditional Australian stock saddle was designed for security and comfort in the saddle no matter how harsh the conditions. While having stylistic roots from the English saddle in the design of the seat, panels, fenders, and stirrups, it has a much deeper seat, higher cantle, and knee pads in the front to create a very secure saddle for riders who ride in rough conditions or spend long hours on a horse. We are also seeing a trend to a newer “half breed” of saddle that incorporates the independent swinging fender and a stirrup style of the western saddle with the traditional Australian tree and seat style. There are also “cross breed” saddles being used that combine other western saddle elements, such as a saddle horn or a western cantle design, with traditional Australian elements, such as the pommel swells and deep seat.

You can find our general packing lists here (LINK). We will send you a detailed and customised packing list and preparation sheet for your experience 4 – 6 weeks prior to your trip.

Most of our experiences include three meals a day and some snacks in between. The food will be Australian home-style country cooking. On our treks, meals are cooked over the fire in a camp-oven and you will be surprised about the delicious meals that some of our cooks can create out in the bush. For some of our experiences you will be staying in very remote places, where it would take you more than four hours to get to the next grocery store. This means that it can sometimes be difficult to get fresh vegetables or fruit or your favourite food might not be available. Obviously, due to the nature of our hosts business, there is always plenty of delicious beef and lamb for one of these great Australian barbecues.

While horse riding is the main activity it certainly isn’t the only thing to do and we have plenty of locations which offer some other fun activities in the area. Give us a call and we can tell you more about which locations offer activities which will be best suited to keep your partner busy and entertained. If your partner is not riding, there will be a reduction in price. Please contact us directly so we can quote accordingly.

Yes. There are exceptions of course, where we would suggest that you ride one of our trainer’s horses to better enjoy the experience. We also offer places for passive participants, spectators, auditors and fence sitters or companions who don’t ride.

Horse Happening brings together the best and most authentic cattle station experiences, horse clinics, equine experiences and events in Australia under the Horses & Cattle Australia brand. We partner with horse clinicians and equine businesses to provide easier and faster access to the best range of horse holidays and adventures and we curate special experiences which are not available anywhere else on the market.

Our experiences are very suitable for single travellers. As a matter of fact, most of our guests travel alone and you will make new friends quickly. There is no extra charge for single rooms on some of our rides and no supplement if you are willing to share a room with someone of the same sex.

We attract a diverse international mix of horse enthusiasts who are looking for that very unique and authentic horse and cattle station experience that is very hard to find. Our customers come from all over the world and to put it in more general terms most rides are a mix of adults from 30 to 60 years. Most of our clients are riding regularly and we also have some Australian customers who participate in some of our experiences with their own horse.

Our experiences descriptions give you an indication of the ability level required to participate and what to expect. However, we do prefer to discuss your expectations with you personally and we are happy to have a discussion with you. If you send us an email with your contact details, we will give you a call at any time which is convenient for you.

Best times to travel for horse holidays in Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales, Southern Queensland and in parts of Western Australia are from September to April. It can get pretty hot from mid-December to mid-February with temperatures in the mid to even high thirties. If you are looking forward to your horse experience in the Kimberleys, or in far North Queensland, we suggest you plan your trip during the dry season of May, June, July or August. For each location, we do list ‘best time to travel’ on our website.

Once you have chosen your experience, we will ask you to fill in a booking form and ask you to pay a 20% deposit. We will then issue a confirmation invoice and the outstanding balance becomes due 12 weeks before departure. For bookings received less than 12 weeks before departure, the full amount is due. You can pay via bank transfer or with your credit card. Paying by credit card will incur a 2% surcharge.